Asteittaisessa

Asteittaisessa is a Finnish adjective in the inessive form used to describe something that occurs in a stepwise or graded manner. It conveys that a change or process happens through discrete steps or increments rather than as a smooth, continuous motion. The base form is asteittainen, meaning stepwise or graduated, and the inessive form asteittaisessa translates to “in a stepwise way” or “in a stepwise progression.”

The term is commonly used in technical and descriptive contexts to characterize processes, measurements, or progressions that advance through distinct levels. For example, asteittaisessa kasvussa refers to growth that proceeds in increments, while asteittaisessa järjestyksessä can describe an arrangement or sequence that follows predefined steps. The expression helps differentiate from continuous or monotonic changes and emphasizes discrete transitions.

Grammatically, asteittaisessa is formed from the adjective asteittainen with the suffix -ssa to indicate inessive case, combined with the appropriate noun. It is typically used with nouns in contexts like eteneminen, kehitys, mittaus, tai arviointi, for instance asteittaisessa etenemisessä or asteittaisessa kehityksessä. The form is more common in formal or technical writing than in everyday speech, where adverbs like asteittain or askeleittain may be preferred.

Related terms include asteittainen (stepwise) and asteittain (step by step, adverb). A contrast is drawn with continuous or yhtenäinen/lineaarinen changes, which are not described as asteittaisessa. Overall, asteittaisessa helps specify that a phenomenon unfolds through clear, separable steps rather than as a smooth transition.